Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Ezra Pound's poetic ensemble, which primarily comprises "Na Audiart" along with a truncated version of a poem concerning Bertran of Born and My Lady Maent, presents an intricate tapestry of emotions, historical references, and stylistic gambits. These poems are deeply rooted in the tradition of the troubadours, medieval lyric poets from the Occitan region. Pound's poems operate on multiple levels, invoking historical figures, embedding political strategy, and all the while veiling and unveiling emotions.

The poem "Na Audiart" revels in the beauty and the enigma of the woman it addresses, Audiart. It's a poem of descriptive magnificence, praising physical beauty and the subtleties of feminine grace in a traditional troubadour manner. However, unlike the typical romance, it acknowledges unrequited love, perhaps even hatred, from the object of the poet's affection. This captures a quintessential Poundian paradox of beauty tinged with sorrow, allure with antipathy. The poem can be read as a courtly love poem, but it is clear Pound is not just interested in celebrating feminine beauty; he is exploring the complex relationships that often involve unrequited love, social constraints, and the intrinsic beauty that can exist in spite of such complexities.

Bertrans of Born, a 12th-century French baron and troubadour, and Audiart are placed in juxtaposition to each other across these poems. Bertrans, famous for stirring up conflicts, including familial and political ones, finds himself in Dante's Inferno, a headless trunk that bears its "head as a lamp." Bertrans was often involved in alliances, including the one with Lady Maent of Montagnac, which might not be based solely on love but rather on strategic necessity. Audiart, on the other hand, is a figure surrounded by a halo of enigmatic beauty, but she is as elusive as she is beautiful. The poems seem to highlight how both figures represent two sides of the same coin, reflecting the human complexities that neither historical consequence nor physical beauty can simplify.

Pound effectively captures the myriad complexities of human desires and ambitions through the lens of historical characters. He melds their tales with his unique artistic outlook to create a rich poetic fabric that addresses not just the fervor of romantic longing, but also the motivations of political intrigue and the ultimate consequences of human actions. The stories of Bertrans and Audiart become allegorical representations of larger, more universal themes. Bertrans is not merely a figure of political machinations; he also embodies the human craving for love or, at least, alliance. Similarly, Audiart is not just an epitome of physical beauty but represents the eternal enigma that love and human relations present.

Additionally, the poems hint at a temporal loop; Bertrans' actions and his kind of love have historical ramifications, as hinted in his placement in Dante's Inferno. Meanwhile, Audiart's beauty seems to exist both in and out of time, an ideal that will continue to exist long after her youth has faded. The poems suggest that both the intrigue represented by Bertrans and the beauty symbolized by Audiart are timeless human traits that recur across history, leaving their imprint on human civilization.

In both the poems, Ezra Pound not only pays homage to the complex human emotions but also to the intricate art of the troubadours. He accomplishes this by integrating multiple themes, from romantic infatuation to the hard reality of political strategy, from temporal beauty to the eternal imprints left by human actions. He achieves this complexity through a lyrical elegance that disguises and reveals, much like the historical figures he chooses to describe, making the poems an eloquent testament to both the sophistication of his subjects and his craft.

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